BJP invites OPS for seat-sharing talks

CHENNAI: Expelled AIADMK leader O Panneerselvam’s disquiet wait for an invite from the BJP, which is heading the NDA, for alliance ended late on Sunday night. The former coordinator and three time chief minister was finally invited for alliance talk by the delegation of the saffron party.

After completing the interview with the applicants for the Lok Sabha polls, Panneerselvam along with his supporters reached city hotel and held talks with Union Ministers VK Singh and G Kishan Reddy, who were deputed to hold talks with alliance partners in Tamil Nadu for the

Lok Sabha polls, along with state president K Annamalai. However, they did not commence seat-sharing talks.

The meeting came as a breather for Panneerselvam, who declared “unconditional support” to the BJP and vowed to take all efforts to help in their capacity to ensure the return of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He has been facing uncomfortable questions for not being invited for the recent public meetings addressed by Prime Minister Modi in the state, including the state capital.

“Our leader has constituted a high-level committee headed by R Vaithilingam to hold talks with the seat-sharing panel of the BJP to finalise the seats,” said a functionary privy to the development.

The confirmation of the alliance with TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK and other political parties clearly showed that AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami was “singled out” from the electoral politics.

It would be proven beyond doubt once the PMK and the DMDK join hands with the BJP-led NDA in the coming days, said former MLA and OPS supporter A Subburathinam.